The invention relates to a slide hammer for driving stakes, for example of the type for supporting posts of real estate signs, in the ground and removing such stakes.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,261,424 to Gonterman discloses s slide hammer for driving a right angle stake into the ground and alternately removing the stake. The mounting tube has strike plates intermediate its opposite ends against which the slide tube strike plates will hit for transmitting a hammering force to the mounting tube The lower end of the mounting tube has slots that are abuttable against slot edges of the stake for transmitting the hammering force from the mounting tube to the stake, one of the plates being struck when removing the plate and the other when driving a stake. The mounting tube is rotated relative to the stake to provide an interlocking arrangement between them when a stake is to be driven into or pulled out of the ground. In use, the edge portions of the stake and mounting tube abut against one another (only a relatively small part of the horizontal edge portions of one strike horizontal edge portions of the other).
U.S Pat. No. 2,525,316 to Schiff discloses a post driver and ejector having axially spaced anvils mounted in fixed relationship to the mounting tube, and upper and lower hammer members mounted at opposite ends of a slide tube. A drive pin is extended through apertures in the anvil, the mounting tube and the tubular post that is extended into the lower end of the mounting tube. The driving force is transmitted from the slide hammer to the post through the pin.
In Moraly, U.S. Pat. No. 4,252,472, two plates are joined together to be generally W-shape in transverse cross section and have a lower pointed end and a top horizontal edge. The slide hammer mounting tube mounts a slide tube for striking a ring that is fixed to the mounting tube. The ring delivers the hammering blows to the L-shaped member on diametric opposite sides of the mounting tube, the dimension of the W-shaped member to which the striking blows are applied being much greater than the thickness of the W-shaped member, but substantially less than the total horizontal dimension thereof.
In order to provide improved apparatus for driving and removing a stake, and in particular to avoid having to manually hold the stake while minimizing damage to the struck edge of the stake, this invention has been made.